Off to North Cackalacky

Off to Pinehurst, North Carolina for a nice four day vacation with a few of Marrvelous's friends - including our best man! Yay, I get to meet our best man. finally. I know, strange that I haven't met such an integral part of our extended family, isn't it?

Two of Marrv's best friends from Scotland live here in the States as well (Pinehurst and West Palm, FL), both are golf pros as well and are married to American women. The friends from FL will be there (as well as the Florida Scotsman's parents ... from Scotland. And yes, the father is a golf pro in Scotland. Over there they just put golf clubs in their hands as wee boys!)

I'm really looking forward to a long weekend with a group of people Marrv considers family. We spend so much time with my friends or friends he has made here in Philly since moving to the US, but these are the friends who have known him since he was a youngin' and will be the ones with the truly obnoxious, yet hilarious toasts at the wedding.

Needless to say I'm looking forward to it - but the best part has been the look on Marrv's face every day this week. He's like a child at Christmas, so excited to be on vacation, play golf and more than anything - spend time with his best mates. It makes me so happy to see him so happy.

Enjoy your weekend y'all!

Summer 2010 Girls Getaway #1 (or the weekend I got heatstroke)

Every summer for the past 5 years, a group of girlfriends and I pick a weekend to get out of the city and go camping. The campsites have varied over the years from middle PA to the past two years when we were in Henlopen State Park in Delaware. This was the ideal spot because it also had beach access! Not sure how many of you have camped before (and no, we're not badass and doing backwoods camping - I'm talking car camping where you drive up to your spot and pitch up your tent), but it's always ideal to have something to spend your day doing so that it's not just 48 hours of sitting by your tents. So Henlopen was great - we could be on the beach during the day, it's a state park so there was some hiking around too, cook our dinner over the fire back at the site, sometimes they'd have nightly ranger talks (though we pretty much got kicked out of the one we went to) and then a little midnight moonlight beach trip as well. Good times.

The Big Apple

Headed to New York tonight after work to spend the weekend with two very dear friends. Growing up only two hours from New York, I tend to forget how in so many people's eyes this is city of all cities. To me, it's where my friends live, where I've spent many fall weekends walking through Central Park or doing holiday shopping, where I've spent time exploring Brooklyn and Queens.

During our trip to Scotland for the holidays, I was reminded how amazing New York City is - friends' eyes lit up when talking about their upcoming holiday this summer, or the longing in others' eyes, with hopes of some day being able to get there. Then I remember that it's not only people all over the world, but people right here in the States. There are people that will live and die in the US and never make it there because it's too far and too expensive of a trip for them. They can't just jump on a bus and pay $10 and be in the Big Apple in two hours flat.

And I love Philly, this is my town. But I get it, I do - New York City, well, it really is that amazing. You may not want to live there, but it's hard not to have a ridiculously fabulous time even on a mini trip.

So I'm looking forward to a weekend just walking the city- popping in shops on 5th Ave (to drool and then move on with wallet still firmly in bag), conducting taste tests of all the fabulous cupcakes, avoiding Times Square like the plague, wearing my Phillies' hat with pride, and of course, lounging in Central Park and people watching.

Vacation, all I ever wanted

The first time I ever got on a plane, I was headed to California. A five-hour, cross country flight is a rather big one for your very first, and as a 10 year old. My second time flying, we took a month long trip to England and Australia. I was 12 on that trip.

People without passports astound me. Perhaps it's unfair, but I instantly judge those people (sorry for those reading who fall into this category - but consider this an offer, get your passport and I will plan you one hell of a trip and show you exactly why it is so important and so fun to see the world!).

I have learned that I'm happiest when planning a trip - whether it's a quick two day stay or a 10 night trip to a brand new spot. I really enjoy researching places to stay, where and what to eat, how to get from one spot to the next and also to learn, in general, the history and background of wherever we're going. I like finding the hidden spots and going where locals go, getting a real sense of how people live their daily life.